Am I really hallucinating?

Chapter 345 Kidnapping Incident
The slight shaking lasted only a short time, and most people did not feel any tremors. Lin Yilin looked around and only saw some unusual behavior from birds and beasts.

But she didn't find much else, so she turned her attention back to the earthworm she had just seen.

Lin Yilin approached the direction in which she had seen the earthworm.

But when she reached the street corner, all she could see was flat ground; there was no sign of anything moving there. She approached a street vendor who also had a view of the corner and asked, "Was there an animal moving over there just now?"

"What are you saying, little girl?" The vendor looked at the little girl who suddenly pointed to the street corner and asked him a question, puzzled.

"I see..." Lin Yilin looked at the vendor's face and confirmed that the other party was not pretending to be stupid.

Indeed, there are quite a few pedestrians on this street, and the earthworm's size is very conspicuous. Even if it only peeks out for a short while, it should be easy for pedestrians to notice it.

However, it seems that only she noticed the strange thing that just happened.

She walked away on her own.

Are earthworms a hallucination?
As she pondered, the image of the chubby, black earthworm bookmark from her book came to mind.

Ultimately, why did she instinctively recognize that thing as an earthworm at a glance? That thick, long creature, even with the sheen of scales, and those segments that could resemble the markings of a snake, made it seem more like a snake in every way.

But she immediately realized that it was an earthworm.

Is this something she forgot?

A lot of strange things seemed to have happened today, which gave Lin Yilin a bad feeling, as if anything could happen at any moment...

While she was thinking, she glanced at the group of people walking towards her.

He was carrying a gun; was he a member of a nearby gang?

She shifted her feet slightly, even though it wasn't necessary, because she was just a child and it wasn't good to get too close to them.

And a taxi not far away, presumably having dropped off the tourists, but the two had been talking for quite some time; the passenger looked displeased, while the driver seemed utterly unconcerned. It appears to be an unreasonable overcharge; such incidents seem quite common in these gray-area neighborhoods. Judging from the passenger's pointing to the trunk, their luggage was likely confiscated as a threat.

Even in this relatively safe area, such incidents seem unavoidable.

Just then, a scream ripped through the calm clamor of the crowd: "Stop, you kidnapper! Xiao Bao!"

Lin Yilin turned her head sharply and saw that the person screaming was a married young woman. She anxiously pushed through the crowd, her goal clear.

A short distance ahead of her, another woman wearing a large trench coat, a mask, and sunglasses was holding a little girl. Her movements were discreet, and before she was discovered, she looked like an ordinary mother holding a sleeping child. Her trench coat also blocked many people's view.

When the real mother's voice rang out, the other party suddenly accelerated. An old van that was already waiting by the roadside picked her up and sped away.

Lin Yilin suddenly turned around and bumped into a man who was about to pass by her.

The man was so engrossed in the kidnapping and abduction that he didn't notice Lin Yilin's sudden movement and bumped into her. He couldn't help but yell, "Little brat, watch where you're going!"

Lin Yilin, on the other hand, had already rushed towards the taxi on the side of the road.

The passenger had just reluctantly paid the fare and retrieved his luggage from the trunk when he gave the driver the middle finger, saying, "You'll get your comeuppance!" Most of the people around, realizing what had happened, looked at him with curious eyes.

A little girl suddenly ran past him, opened the door, and sat in the front passenger seat of the taxi.

The driver was still making faces at the passenger in the upper seat he had cheated when he turned around and was suddenly pointed at by a dark gun barrel.

"Drive! Chase that van!"

"You little brat, you're messing with me..." Bang!
A shot hit the roof of the car. Lin Yilin's arm trembled slightly. She pointed the gun at the driver again and said, "Drive!"

That's a real gun!?
As the driver thought this, he had already started the car and obediently chased after the van.

The man who had just been bumped by Lin Yilin suddenly realized something after hearing the gunshot, and reached into his inner pocket, only to find it empty.

Who the hell is this kid?!

After following the van for a while, the van realized that someone was following it. Suddenly, it swerved, veered off the main road, and crashed into a small alley, disappearing from sight in a flash.

"I can't go any further..." the driver said immediately upon seeing this, as if issuing a disclaimer.

Lin Yilin's brain was working at high speed.

This is Dongding Road in the Xixi Keke neighborhood. The buildings are dense and the alleys and lanes are interconnected. The fact that they dared to rush in so directly and use the terrain to shake off their pursuers shows that they are very familiar with this area.

The driver stopped the car at the intersection: "There are a lot of gangs here. Going in recklessly will definitely cause trouble. I've never driven on the roads inside before. Going in is a dead end!"

His attitude here is very firm, it seems he really thinks that randomly driving in to chase after them and being shot by Lin Yilin are about the same outcome.

Lin Yilin didn't turn her gun away, keeping it aimed at him, and asked, "Do you usually have your taxi repaired around Dongding Road? Or do you often come here to deliver goods?"

"W-how did you know?" the driver stammered, his voice filled with surprise and doubt. This girl was completely different from her appearance; facing her was like facing the head of a major gang…

The car smelled strongly of cardboard boxes, and there were obvious dents on the back seat. This driver probably transports more than just people; he also makes a lot of shady side jobs.

The taxi and the van had several things in common: they were both old vehicles of unknown origin, with numerous signs of unauthorized repairs and modifications, and both had tires covered in mud of the same color.

Both vehicles typically operate in similar areas, and the amount of dirt they accumulate is unlikely if they were always driving on designated lanes. Taxis tend to accumulate less dirt than vans, as taxis have a wider operating range than the kidnappers' vans.

But the intersection has already appeared.

Among the various types of roads, Dongding Road is characterized by poor road maintenance, exposed mud, a mix of industries, frequent traffic of all kinds of vehicles, and a high cost-performance ratio for illegal vehicle repair and modification.

The driver is lying; he frequently drives on Dongding Road.

However, his fear was not unfounded. It was precisely because he frequently went in and out that he was aware of the dangers inside and knew the peril of wandering around like a headless fly.

He may not come to this area often, and whatever his reasons may be false, his emotions are certainly real.

"Go check out your usual car repair shop; you should have just come from here this morning," Lin Yilin ordered.

The driver silently agreed, offering no further explanation, feeling utterly exposed in front of Lin Yilin. After taking Lin Yilin on a detour, he entered a more spacious area, which seemed considerably safer.

However, after leaving the main road and venturing further in, the road soon became somewhat muddy.

Lin Yilin didn't actually follow the driver to the repair shop. There might be someone the driver knew there, and if there were too many people, she wouldn't be able to handle them all with one gun, and she wouldn't be able to ensure the stability of the hostage situation.

After all, she was just a little girl who couldn't even kill a chicken.

Therefore, she got off the bus after confirming that she had almost arrived at her destination.

The driver watched Lin Yilin leave and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Without daring to think too much, he quickly drove away.

Lin Yilin arrived at the location and continued the pursuit.

(End of this chapter)